Williamson's My Florist

Williamson's My Florist: four generations of Scottish floristry

Williamson's My Florist is a family business that began as growers of fresh flowers and vegetables at Beechwood Nurseries around 1935. According to the company's own account, the Williamson family soon opened its first flower shop and went on to take part in the development of design-led floristry, contributing to industry standards and designing for international design publications. In the late 1970s the firm expanded to become, in its own description, the largest independent employer within retail floristry in the UK, and its high-street presence reached a peak of 14 flower shops with more than 140 staff across Scotland.

The business describes a shift in shopping habits among its customers in 1997, which led to the launch of the myflorist.co.uk online channel in 1998. More than 25 years later, the website operates alongside the traditional high-street retailing activity. The company states that during the Covid-19 restrictions staff moved from some of the smaller high-street shops to the larger flower delivery centres in Livingston and Dundee, where there was more space to prepare arrangements.

Bouquets, seasonal ranges and subscription flowers

The catalogue is organised around ready-made arrangements, flowers in a vase and hand-tied bouquets, plus a subscription option. Seasonal collections are a recurring feature: autumn flowers, Christmas flowers, winter flowers, Valentine's, Mother's Day, Easter and summer ranges each have their own section. At the time of writing this profile, the autumn selection included an Autumn Classic Hand-tied Bouquet, a Sunflower Autumn Bouquet, an Autumn Classic Gift Box, The Dawn Dream, a Seasonal Fresh Flowers option and the Beautifully Simple bouquets in white, pink and a pink rose and lily mix.

Flowers can also be chosen by occasion or sentiment, with dedicated categories for birthdays, new babies, graduations, anniversaries, congratulations, thank-you, get-well-soon, good luck, sympathy, romantic gestures, apologies and "just because" gifts. Gift cards are sold separately, with optional add-ons pairing flowers with a teddy bear or with wine.

Funeral and sympathy work

Sympathy and funeral flowers form a substantial part of the offer. The range covers tributes, funeral sprays, coffin sprays, wreaths, simple sheaves, posies, personalised tributes, hearts, floral letters, pillows and cushions, crosses and custom tributes. The company also presents itself as a source of guidance for customers unsure what to send or when, with florists available to talk the choice through.

Weddings and in-store consultations

For weddings, the catalogue is divided by members of the wedding party and by ceremony needs: flowers for the bride, the bridesmaids and the gents, plus corsages and buttonholes in wrist, jacket and handbag formats. Scottish wedding flowers are presented as a seasonal option, and consultations take place in store.

Delivery across Scotland

Orders placed before 10am qualify for same-day delivery, and the company also offers next-day and weekend delivery. The stated delivery footprint covers West Lothian, Edinburgh, Fife, Perthshire, Broughty Ferry and Dundee, with dedicated pages for Livingston, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Bathgate, Uphall and Broxburn, Linlithgow and the Fife and Perthshire area. Flowers are described as delivered by hand.

Garden centre, coffee shop and seasonal events

Beyond flowers, Williamson's operates a garden centre and coffee shop at Uphall, presented as a day out combining plants, gifts and brunch. The company also runs workshops and seasonal events, including a wreath-making workshop scheduled for 11-13 December and a Santa's Grotto at Uphall where every child receives a gift and visits are booked in advance.

The business also maintains a second base in Broughty Ferry, near Dundee, alongside its West Lothian operation.